HB0445 • 2026

Dangerous Crimes

Crime

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Judiciary Committee ; Criminal Justice Subcommittee ; Greco ; (CO-INTRODUCERS) Benarroch ; Chaney ; Cobb ; Gerwig ; Jacques ; Kincart Jonsson ; López, J. ; Maggard ; Stark
Last action: 2026-04-01
Official status: Chapter No. 2026-19
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

The official text lists specific crimes but does not define every term within those crime names (e.g., exact legal standard for 'aggravated assault'), relying on existing statutes.

Missy's Law: Changes Rules for Dangerous Crimes

This law requires courts to immediately send people who plead guilty or are found guilty of specific serious crimes back into custody without the possibility of release on bond until sentencing.

What This Bill Does

Requires a court to remand a person to custody immediately if they plead guilty, nolo contendere, or are found guilty of a dangerous crime.
Mandates that these individuals remain in custody pending sentencing without the possibility of release on bond.
Updates the legal definition of 'dangerous crime' by listing specific offenses such as arson, aggravated assault, kidnapping, and human trafficking.
States that this rule applies even if the person intends to appeal or has already filed a notice of appeal.

Who It Names or Affects

People who plead guilty, nolo contendere, or are found guilty of a dangerous crime as defined in section 907.041(5)(a).
Courts and judges handling cases involving these specific crimes.
Law enforcement agencies responsible for holding people in custody before sentencing.

Terms To Know

Remand to custody: Sending a person back to jail or prison immediately after they are found guilty or plead guilty.
Nolo contendere: A plea where the defendant does not admit guilt but accepts punishment as if they were guilty.
Bond: Money or conditions that allow a person to be released from jail while waiting for court dates; this law removes this possibility for dangerous crimes before sentencing.

Limits and Unknowns

The law does not apply if the plea or finding of guilt is vacated, reversed on appeal, set aside by a judgment of acquittal, or otherwise nullified.
This act only takes effect starting July 1, 2026.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

874609

Committee amendment H 445 c1 • Greco

Adopted 2/10/2026

Plain English: This amendment requires courts to immediately lock up people found guilty or who plead guilty to dangerous crimes, keeping them in jail without bail until sentencing.

Courts must send a person back into custody right away if they are found guilty of or plead guilty to a dangerous crime defined by state law.
The person cannot be released on bond and must stay in jail while waiting for their official sentence.
This rule applies even if the person plans to appeal the verdict or has already filed an appeal.

The text does not define exactly which crimes count as 'dangerous' other than referring to a specific section of law (s. 907.041(5)(a)).
It is unclear if this rule applies in every single case or only under certain conditions mentioned elsewhere in the full bill.

Bill History

2026-04-01 The Florida Senate and Florida House of Representatives
• Chapter No. 2026-19
2026-03-31 The Florida Senate and Florida House of Representatives
• Approved by Governor
2026-03-30 The Florida Senate and Florida House of Representatives
• Signed by Officers and presented to Governor
2026-03-05 House
• In Messages • Ordered enrolled
2026-03-04 Senate
• Withdrawn from Rules -SJ 562 • Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading • Substituted for CS/CS/SB 928 -SJ 562 • Read 2nd time -SJ 562 • Read 3rd time -SJ 562 • CS passed; YEAS 37 NAYS 0 -SJ 562
2026-02-26 Senate
• Referred to Rules • Received
2026-02-25 House
• Read 2nd time • Added to Third Reading Calendar • Read 3rd time • CS passed; YEAS 93, NAYS 20
2026-02-25 Senate
• In Messages
2026-02-19 House
• Bill added to Special Order Calendar (2/25/2026)
2026-02-11 House
• Bill referred to House Calendar • Added to Second Reading Calendar
2026-02-10 House
• Favorable with CS by Judiciary Committee • Reported out of Judiciary Committee • Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a) • CS Filed • 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 2)
2026-02-06 House
• Added to Judiciary Committee agenda
2026-01-30 House
• Reported out of Justice Budget Subcommittee • Now in Judiciary Committee
2026-01-29 House
• Favorable by Justice Budget Subcommittee
2026-01-27 House
• Added to Justice Budget Subcommittee agenda
2026-01-21 House
• Referred to Justice Budget Subcommittee • Referred to Judiciary Committee • Now in Justice Budget Subcommittee • 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 1)
2026-01-20 House
• Favorable with CS by Criminal Justice Subcommittee • Reported out of Criminal Justice Subcommittee • Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a) • CS Filed
2026-01-15 House
• PCS added to Criminal Justice Subcommittee agenda
2026-01-13 House
• 1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
2025-11-24 House
• Referred to Criminal Justice Subcommittee • Referred to Justice Budget Subcommittee • Referred to Judiciary Committee • Now in Criminal Justice Subcommittee
2025-11-18 House
• Filed

Official Summary Text

Dangerous Crimes; Requires court to remand person who pleads guilty or nolo contendere to, or is found guilty of, dangerous crime to custody immediately; requires such person to remain in custody pending sentencing without possibility of release on bond; revising definition of "dangerous crime."

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

ENROLLED
CS/CS/HB 445 2026 Legislature

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

1
An act relating to dangerous crimes; providing a short 2
title; creating s. 903.0472, F.S.; requiring a court 3
to remand a person who pleads guilty or nolo 4
contendere to, or is found guilty of, a dangerous 5
crime to custody immediately; requiring such person to 6
remain in custody pending sentencing without the 7
possibility of release on bond; providing 8
applicability; amending s. 907.041, F.S.; revising the 9
definition of "dangerous crime"; providing an 10
effective date. 11
12
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 13
14
Section 1. This act may be cited as "Missy's Law." 15
Section 2. Section 903.0472, Florida Statutes, is created 16
to read: 17
903.0472 Mandatory remand to custody upon conviction of 18
dangerous crimes.— 19
(1) Notwithstanding any provision in this chapter or 20
chapter 924 to the contrary, the court shall remand a person to 21
custody immediately, and the person shall remain in custody 22
pending sentencing without the possibility of release on bond, 23
if the person pleads guilty or nolo contendere to, or is found 24
guilty of, regardless of adjudication, a dangerous crime as 25

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defined in s. 907.041(5)(a). 26
(2) This section applies regardless of whether the person 27
intends to appeal or has filed a notice of appeal. 28
(3) This section does not apply if the plea or finding of 29
guilt that required the person to be remanded to custody under 30
subsection (1) has been: 31
(a) Vacated; 32
(b) Reversed on appeal; 33
(c) Set aside by judgment of acquittal; or 34
(d) Otherwise nullified. 35
Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (5) of section 36
907.041, Florida Statutes, is reordered and amended to read: 37
907.041 Pretrial detention and release.— 38
(5) PRETRIAL DETENTION.— 39
(a) As used in this subsection, "dangerous crime" means 40
any of the following: 41
1. Arson; 42
2. Aggravated assault; 43
3. Aggravated battery; 44
4. Illegal use of explosives; 45
5. Child abuse or aggravated child abuse; 46
6. Abuse of an elderly person or disabled adult, or 47
aggravated abuse of an elderly person or disabled adult; 48
7. Aircraft piracy; 49
8. Kidnapping; 50

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9. Homicide; 51
10. Manslaughter, including DUI manslaughter and BUI 52
manslaughter; 53
11. Sexual battery; 54
12. Robbery; 55
13. Carjacking; 56
14. Lewd, lascivious, or indecent assault or act upon or 57
in presence of a child under the age of 16 years; 58
15. Sexual activity with a child, who is 12 years of age 59
or older but less than 18 years of age, by or at solicitation of 60
person in familial or custodial authority; 61
16. Burglary of a dwelling; 62
17. Stalking and aggravated stalking; 63
18. Act of domestic violence as defined in s. 741.28; 64
19. Home invasion robbery; 65
20. Act of terrorism as defined in s. 775.30; 66
21. Manufacturing any substances in violation of chapter 67
893; 68
22. Attempting or conspiring to commit any such crime; 69
22.23. Human trafficking; 70
23.24. Trafficking in any controlled substance described 71
in s. 893.135(1)(c)4.; 72
24.25. Extortion in violation of s. 836.05; and 73
25.26. Written threats to kill in violation of s. 836.10; 74
26. Any violation related to computer pornography or child 75

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exploitation as described in s. 847.0135; and 76
27. Attempting or conspiring to commit any such crime. 77
Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 78